Method and apparatus for processing organic waste material

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and method for processing of material such as organic waste material by compressing and extruding the material, with subsequent optional pelletization. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a container having inlet and outlet ends. There is a first plate (70) at the outlet end and rotatable about an axis extending between the ends. There is a second plate (28, 46) axially spaced apart from the first plate having a leading radial edge and a surface facing toward the outlet end angled from the leading edge toward the outlet end for forcing material in contact therewith axially toward the outlet end so as to compress material between the first and second plates as the second plate rotates about the axis. The first plate has apertures for extrusion of material. A second embodiment apparatus includes a compression zone at the outlet end including means for exerting compressive forces on material in the zone in an axial direction toward the outlet end so as to compress the material. There is slicing means (108) for movement in a direction transverse to the axial direction for slicing off a portion of the compressed material and a surface associated with the slicing means oriented to force the sliced portion toward the outlet end.

This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 07/944,949 filed Sep.15, 1992, now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for processing ofmaterials such as organic waste material. In particular, this inventionrelates to an apparatus for compressing and extruding the material, withsubsequent pelletization, if desired.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

The processing of material such as waste water residuals (sewagesludge), manure, yard waste, food processing wastes, etc., generallyincludes a stage in which the material is put into a form for subsequentuse. Commonly, the material is pelletized for later use as fertilizer,for example.

Pellets are a desirable form because such wastes, even at the tail endof a processing stream have a large water component and relatively smallpellets are more easily dried than non-pelletized material. Inparticular circumstances, such as the processing of sewage sludge intofertilizer, other materials are often mixed into the waste. Formation ofthe combined materials into evenly sized pellets results in a product inwhich the combined materials may be evenly distributed in use, such asduring spreading onto a farmer's field. It has generally been found thatit is necessary, or at least desirable to mix binding agents with thematerial of the processing stream prior to pelletization in order toensure that the material have sufficient adhesion properties. Otherwise,the treated material might crumble apart, which is generallyundesirable.

Several approaches to downstream pelletization of organic waste materialand the like have been taken in the past. One pelletizer includes alarge diameter disk having a shallow circumferential wall. The diskrotates about an axis perpendicular to the center of the disc andinclined to the horizontal. Moist material is fed onto the disk andsticks to the disk. As the disk rotates, pellets are formed.

Another approach involves a tilted cylindrical drum which rotates aboutthe central axis of the drum. Material is fed into the raised end of thedrum. Material is pelletized as the drum rotates. Interior drum wallshaving openings spaced radially inwardly of the drum periphery permitonly the larger particles (which rise to the top of the rotatingmaterial) to flow towards the other end of the drum for eventual exittherefrom.

These two approaches produce the pellets desired in many situations, butsuffer the disadvantage of being relatively slow. Pellet size anduniformity of size and shape of the pellets formed could be improved.

Yet another apparatus utilizes rollers which act against a cylindricalscreen to force material through the screen web.

A known pelletizer utilizes a pair of horizontal rollers in abuttingside-by-side contact with each other. The rollers rotate so thatmaterial may be fed downwardly into the crevice between the rollers.There are notches in each of the rollers which are aligned with eachother so that material enters the notches, is compressed therein as therollers rotate and expelled in pelletized form from the underside of therollers.

In any event, to be effective, any pelletizer or pelletization processtakes into account the fact that organic material being treated includesliving matter, generally a bacterial component, the maintenance of whichis generally desirable. For example, bacteria-containing sludge waste isdesirable for use as fertilizer. Pelletization processes which kill orotherwise degrade the bacterial component to a degree sufficient toreduce the usefulness of the pelletized sludge as fertilizer areconsidered disadvantageous.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has thus been found possible to compress and extrude such wastematerial according to the present invention. Extruded material may becut into pellet-sized pieces as it is extruded from the apparatus ifdesired.

In a first broad aspect, an apparatus of the present invention includesa container for the material having an inlet end and an outlet end forthe inflow and outflow of the material. There is a first plate locatedat the outlet end and rotatable with respect to the container about anaxis extending between the inlet and outlet ends. There is a secondplate located within the container and rotatable with respect to thecontainer about the axis and axially spaced apart from the first plate.The second plate has a leading radial edge and a surface facing towardthe outlet end angled from the leading edge toward the outlet end forforcing material in contact therewith axially toward the outlet end ofthe container so as to compress material between the first and secondplates as the second plate rotates. The first plate has one or moreapertures through it for extrusion of compressed material through thefirst plate as the first plate rotates.

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, described in greaterdetail below, the first plate rotates in a first rotational direction(either clockwise or counterclockwise) and the second plate rotates inthe opposite direction as the material is processed through theapparatus. The plates are rotatable at independently selected speeds soas to select the degree of compression of material.

The apparatus can include means for conveying material from the inletend to the leading edge of the second plate.

In the preferred apparatus the container is oriented with the inlet endabove the outlet end so that material travels under the force of gravityfrom the inlet end to the second (i.e., upper) rotating plate. Further,the apparatus includes a first stator located above the second plate andhaving walls defining a plurality of compartments so as to retainmaterial positioned within each compartment (i.e., that has fallen orotherwise entered into the compartment) such that, as the leading edgeof the second plate passes under each compartment as the second platerotates, material within the compartment is brought into contact withthe leading edge. The leading edge thus grabs the material to entrain itbelow the second plate into the zone of the apparatus between the firstand second plates.

The apparatus most preferrably includes another rotating member withinthe container vessel, rotatable about the axis and located above thefirst stator. The member has a pair of wings, generally coplanar witheach other, having spaces therebetween to permit passage of materialfrom the inlet end into the first stator. At least one of the wings, butpreferrably both, has an underside angled downwardly of the wing'sleading edge so as to force downwardly material in contact with theunderside.

There can be a second stator located above the rotatable member andhaving walls defining a plurality of compartments so as to positionmaterial within each compartment such that as the member rotates to aposition such that one of the spaces between the wings brings thecompartment into communication with an underlying compartment of thefirst stator to permit material to fall under the force of gravity fromthe compartment into the underlying compartment of the first stator.

There can be a third stator located between the first and second platesand having walls defining a plurality of compartments so as to limitrotational movement of material within the compartments.

Preferrably, the apertures of the first plate are angled downwardly andaway from the direction of rotation the first plate so as to facilitateflow of material thereinto as the first plate rotates. Further, thewalls of the third stator can be angled downwardly and in the directionof rotation of the second plate so as to enchance flow of material inthe direction of the apertures as the first and second plates rotate.

In a very specific embodiment, the apparatus includes a powered shaftrotatable about the axis having the second plate and rotatable memberfixedly mounted thereto. The first plate is rotatably mounted on thesame shaft but powered by a second a motor geared to rotate the firstplate.

As previously mentioned, the apparatus may include cutting means forcutting material to a predetermined length as the material emerges fromthe apertures of the first plate.

In a second broad aspect, an apparatus of the present invention includesa container for material to be processed having inlet and outlet ends.There is a compression zone at the outlet end within the containerincluding means for exerting compressive forces on material in the zonein an axial direction toward the outlet end so as to compress thematerial. There is slicing means within the container and located towardthe outlet end for movement in a direction transverse to the axialdirection for slicing off a portion of the compressed material. There isa surface associated with the slicing means having an axial componentsuch that the surface is oriented to force the sliced portion toward theoutlet end with movement of the slicing means. As with the first broadapparatus aspect, there is extrusion means at the outlet end havingapertures located to accept therethrough material forced toward theoutlet end by the surface whereby material is extruded from the outletend of the container.

A preferred slicing means includes a rotatable plate having a side whichis oriented toward the compression zone against which material iscompressed by the means for exerting compressive forces. The means forexerting compressive forces can be a helical screw rotatable about anaxis parallel to the axial direction.

The slicing means can further include a blade located to have a leadingedge for slicing off a portion of the compressed material withrotational movement of the rotatable plate. The blade itself can have asurface oriented toward the outlet end shaped to guide the sliced offportion toward the apertures of the extrusion means. There can, ofcourse be a number of blades and extrusion outlets.

In a first broad aspect of the method of the present invention, organicwaste material or the like is processed by pressing the material into acavity between first and second axially spaced apart parallel platesrotating about a common central axis in opposite rotational directionsto each other. The method includes compressing the material between theplates by means of a surface on the first plate angled into the cavityand subsequently extruding the material through apertures in the secondrotating plate.

More preferrably, the first plate is located axially above the secondplate and the method includes the step of feeding material to beprocessed onto the top of the first plate for entry into the cavitythrough one or more openings in the first plate. The feeding step caninclude limiting rotation of material located between the first andsecond plates by means of a stator located above the second plate, thestator having upright walls defining compartments to retain materialpositioned in each compartment.

There can be a third plate located axially above the first plate and thefeeding step can include the step of passing material to be processedunder the force of gravity through openings between rotationally spacedapart wings of the third plate and compressing the material between thethird and first plates by means of a surface on an underside of thethird plate angled toward the first plate.

Compressing the material between the third and first plates can includethe step of limiting rotation of material located between the third andfirst plates by means of a stator located therebetween, the statorhaving upright wall defining compartments to retain material positionedin each compartment.

The feeding step can include limiting rotation of material located abovethe third plate by means of a stator located above the third plate, thestator having upright walls defining compartments to retain materialpositioned in each compartment.

The extruding step can include directing the material through aperturesangled downwardly and away from the direction of the rotation of thesecond plate.

In a second broad aspect of the method of the present invention,processing the material includes forcing the material against a movingplate having a planar motion by pressing the material in an axialdirection perpendicular to the plane of motion. This is followed byslicing off a portion of the material being compressed by means of ablade moving parallel to the motion of the plate and extruding thesliced off portion through one or more apertures in the plate.

The method, of course can include a step of cutting the material tolength as the material emerges from the apertures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments of the invention are described with reference beingmade to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a first embodiment of the presentinvention in partial section;

FIG. 2 is a detail in elevation of compacting and extruding portions ofthe FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the uppermost stator of the FIG. 1embodiment, this being the same as the middle stator;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the stator shown in FIG. 3 taken along4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the uppermost rotating member of the FIG. 1embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of an uppermost rotating member shown in FIG.5;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the middle rotating member of the FIG. 1embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the middle rotating member shown in FIG.7;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a lower stator of the FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of the lower stator shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a lowermost rotating member of the FIG. 1embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along 12--12 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of an extruder die for use as part of theFIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a side elevation of the die of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of the presentinvention in partial section;

FIG. 16 is a top view of a cutting-extruder member for use as part ofthe FIG. 15 embodiment;

FIG. 17 is a side elevation of a portion of the cutting-extruder membershown in FIG. 16 as seen from the right hand side of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of a rotary wheel of the FIG. 15 embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a sectional view taken along 19--19 of FIG. 18 showing anenlarged detail of extruder outlets; and

FIG. 20 is a bottom plan view of the rotary wheel shown in FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning to the drawings, a first embodiment pelletizing apparatus 10 isshown generally in FIG. 1. Material to be pelletized is fed through anauger rotatingly housed in tube 12 into the upper end of drum 14. Thematerial travels under the force of gravity toward the lower end of thedrum where it is eventually entrained, compacted and extruded out of thebottom of the apparatus, the entrainment, compaction and extrusionportions of the appartus being described in greater detail below.Strands of extruded material are cut to length as desired by cutterswell known in the art, and the newly formed pellets drop downwardly forcollection.

A detailed view of the entrainment, compaction and extrusion portions ofthe apparatus is shown in FIG. 2. The uppermost member of this part ofthe appartus is stator 16, shown in even greater detail in FIGS. 3 and4. Stator 16 is installed in a fixed position with respect to the drum.The stator includes inner collar 18, rim 20 connected to each other bydividers 22 so as to be divided into pie-shaped compartments 24. Eachdivider lies on a radius extending outwardly from the central axis ofshaft 26 and is spaced by about 30° from its neighboring dividers.

Located in-line immediately below the uppermost stator is member 28affixed to vertical rotary shaft 26, under rotational control of motor30. Rotary member 28 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 5 and 6. Collar32 of member 28 is affixed to shaft 26 by a key received in a keyway andfixed in place by a set screw. Member 28 includes two essentiallyidentical wings 34 affixed to its central collar, the wings beingsymmetrically located with respect to each other about a centralvertical axis of the member. A first portion 36 of each wing descendsdownwardly from its leading edge 38 about 11/4 inches (about 3.2 cm)through an angle of about 90°. The remaining 30° portion 40 liesgenerally in a plane perpendicular to the vertical. Leading edge 38 andfollowing edge 42 of each wing each lie generally on a radius extendinghorizontally outwardly from the central axis of shaft 26 and are spacedabout 120° from each other. The leading edge portion of the wing iscurved or otherwise bevelled downwardly in the rotational direction ofthe following edge of the wing.

Located in-line immediately below upper rotary member 28 is a secondstator 44. Middle stator 44 is essentially identical in shape touppermost stator 16, but it is rotationally offset from the first statorsuch that each divider 22 of the underlying stator bisects thepie-shaped compartment of the overlying stator when viewed from above.Stators 16, 44 are fixed with respect to rotary shaft 26 which passesthrough the central collars of the stators. The stators are each fixedin position with respect to drum 14 to which they are bolted. The vanesor dividers 22 of the stators act to limit rotation of material instator compartments and in this way are considered to be oriented in anupright position.

Located in-line immediately below intermediate stator 44 is member 46affixed to rotary shaft 26. Rotary member 46 is shown in greater detailin FIGS. 7 and 8. Rotary member 46 includes two essentially identicalwings 48 rigidly affixed to central collar 50. As seen in plan view,each wing 48 is more or less semi-circular. The leading edge 52 of eachwing 48 of the middle rotary member is spaced above the following edge54 of the other wing. Each wing descends downwardly from its leadingedge to its following edge about 3/4 of an inch (about 1.9 cm).Protruding from the underside of the trailing end of each wing 48 isdeflector 56 which is rougly triangular in cross-section. Deflector 56spans the full extent of following edge 54.

Located in-line immediately below rotary member 46 is lower stator 58.Stator 58, like the other stators, is installed in a fixed position withrespect to the drum. Stator 58 includes inner collar 60, outer rim 62,and intermediate ring 64, the three annular elements being concentricwith one another. Tilted vanes 66 extend radially outwardly from collar60 to rim 62. Similarly angled vanes 68 extending radially outwardlyfrom ring 64 to rim 62. There are eight of each of vanes 66, 68,respectively, the differently extending vanes alternating with eachother and being evenly spaced from each other. There is thus an angle of45° between neighboring vanes 66, each of which angle is bisected by oneof vanes 68. All of the vanes are tilted in the same direction and toabout the same extent, roughly 45° with respect to the vertical (whichis greater than the extent of the tilt shown in the figures).

Located in-line immediately below the lower stator is lowermost rotarymember 70. Member 70 is rotatably mounted with respect to shaft 26.Member 70 is under the rotational control of pinion 72, the member andpinion being operably connected by meshing teeth 74, the pinion beingpowered by motor 76.

Lowermost member 70 is fitted with die 78 containing a row of extruderapertures 80. As can be seen most readily in FIGS. 11 to 14, die 78 isheld in place by screws on one side and supported by the lowermostmember 70.

The arrangement is such that in operation, upper and middle rotarymembers 28, 46 rotate in the same direction and at the same speed aseach other, these members being fixedly attached to rotary shaft 26under the control of motor 30. Lowermost rotary member 70 is set torotate in an opposite rotational direction to the other rotary members.Being under the control of separate motors, the rotational speed of thelower member 70 can thus be set independently of upper and middle rotarymembers 28 and 46. The relative rotational directions of shaft 26,rotating extruder disc 70 and pinion 72 are shown by arrows 82, 84, 86,respectively.

Material fed into the apparatus follows the path generally illustratedby arrow 88. The amount of inflow is controlled by the speed of an auger(not shown) located in inlet duct 12. The feeding auger is operated by aseparately controlled motor, also not shown. Material drops intocompartments 24 of the uppermost stator. Distribution of such materialmay be mechanically enhanced, as desired, by a vertical auger rotatingabove stator 16.

The divider walls of the uppermost stator limit rotation of material inthe compartments in reaction to contact with the top surface of upperrotating member 28. As member 28 rotates in a counterclockwisedirection, as viewed from above the apparatus, material can fall betweenthe gap between the following edge of one rotating wing and the leadingedge of the other wing. Such material is captured or entrained by theupper rotating member and pressed into compartments of the middlestator. The downwardly sloping underside of rotating member 28 forcesentrained material downwardly into compartments of the middle stator.

Rotating immediately below the middle stator is middle rotating member46. Material is drawn into compartments of the lower stator by rotatingmember 46. As member 46 rotates, material being forced downwardlythrough the compartments of the middle stator is captured under leadingedge 52. The underside of each wing of member 46 is inclined to forcematerial in contact therewith in a downward direction as the memberrotates.

In full operation, once a steady-state flow of material is reached,compartments of the middle and lower stators are generally full ofmaterial. Material is continuously being captured by the upper rotatingmember and fed into compartments of the middle stator. In turn, materialis constantly drawn and compressed into compartments of the lower statorby the middle rotating member.

Egress of the material out of compartments of the lower stator isthrough the holes 80 of extruder die 78. The plates or vanes of thelower stator are angled so as to force compressed material passingthrough the stator in a generally counterclockwise direction. Extruderapertures 80 are oriented so as to accept therethrough material aslowermost member 70 rotates in a clockwise direction. Exiting materialis cut to the length desired by conventional cutters, illustrated belowin connection with a second embodiment. It is possible that materialwould be extruded and formed to length, if at all, at some later time.

In operation, the speed of rotation of the rotating capturing andcompressing members and the speed of rotation of the bottom rotatingplate member are independently controlled. It is possible to select thepressure being exerted on the compressed material in the lower statorfrom a range of pressure by varying these relative speeds. The fasterthe lower plate rotates with respect to the upper two rotating members,the lower the pressure exerted on compressed material within thecompartments of the lowermost stator. Lowering the relative rotationalspeed of the lowermost plate with respect to the upper rotating memberswill, of course, raise the pressure exerted on the compressed material,thereby increasing the degree of compaction of the material prior toextrusion.

Drum 14 of the illustrated apparatus has an inner diameter of about 30inches (about 76 cm). The upper stator and the middle stator each have aheight of about three inches (about 7.6 cm) while the lower stator hasan overall height of about two inches (about 5.1 cm). The rotary shaftand the extruder plate are each driven by a 20 horsepower gear motorhaving a speed which can be varied thanks to an AC inverter control, anda specific output torque.

The apparatus shown is of mill steel. Rotating members 28, 46 are eachfixedly connected to rotary shaft 26 by means of a key received in a keyway and set screws.

It has been found possible, with the illustrated first embodimentapparatus, to process sewage sludge containing appropriate bindingagents and a water content of about 40%, at a continuous throughput rateof about eight tons per hour. A single extuder die having twenty-eight3/8-inch holes was used. An appropriate turning speed of the upperrotating members 28, 46 connected to the rotary shaft was found to be 26r.p.m. A satisfactory turning speed of the lower rotating extrudingmember 70 was found to be 15 r.p.m. Suitably compacted sludgeappropriate for use as fertilizer was thus obtained. Tests determinedthat the bacterial content of the processed sludge was satisfactory forthe product to be used as fertilizer.

It is expected that the disclosed apparatus could well process amaterial having a moisture component selected from over a wide range. Itshould be possible to process a stock material having anywhere fromabout 5% to 60% water, or possibly higher with the single apparatus. Anupper limit of the water component would be reached where it is nolonger possible to obtain extruded material of the desired consistency.Obviously the parameters of operation, relative and absolute speeds ofthe various components, would have to be varied to obtain resultsdesired in a particular situation. It might also be preferrable to alterthe number of dies used, etc.

Die 78 of the first embodiment is installed so as to be interchangeablewith other dies. In this way dies having extruder holes of variousdiameters may be intstalled as needed. It will further be appreciatedthat the extruder wheel may be fit with more than one die. It wouldgenerally be preferred, although not absolutely necessary, that dies beevenly angularly spaced from each other. A given die may have more thanone row of extrusion outlets. Many variations are possible. Die setshaving as few as one hole could be used, extruding holes could bedrilled directly into rotating member 70, etc.

An apparatus of the present invention would often be used as part of apre-existing sewage treatment process. As such, modifications to theapparatus might be necessary to adapt the invention for such use. Forexample, an apparatus having a larger throughput may be desired. Thesize of the components of the apparatus could be suitably chosen. It maybe desirable, for whatever reason to have material fed into the lowerend of the apparatus and extruded from the upper end. If the apparatuswere inverted to accommodate such a requirement, a mechanism forconveying material from the apparatus inlet to the rotating entrainmentplate would be necessary. An auger similar to that described below inconnection with a second embodiment apparatus could provide such asuitable conveying means. It might be required, under particularcircumstances, that material be expelled through a stationary, ratherthan a rotating extruder. It is the relative movement of the apparatuscomponents that is important. Thus, in such case, the rotating parts ofthe illustrated embodiment could be fixed in place and the stationaryparts, such as the drum and stators could be arranged so as to rotate,appropriate modifications to other portions of the appartus being made.

As part of a larger material processing operation, in which inflow ofmaterial into the apparatus varies from time to time, appropriatesensors could be installed to alter the speed of operation of theapparatus in response to such variations. This would be done to ensurethat the stator compartments of the apparatus remain full, i.e., thatthe preferred steady-state flow of material is maintained so as tomaintain a fairly constant degree of compaction of material.

The motors of the illustrated embodiment are under AC inverter controlwhich are under computer control, circuitry being contained in panel 90.Parameters for operation of the various components can thus be pre-set,facilitating operation of the apparatus.

A second embodiment apparatus 92 is illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 20. Drum94 is provided with feedstock material inlet 96 at its upper end. Rotaryauger 98 is under the control of motor 100. Below compression zone 102is provided rotary wheel 104, journaled about the central shaft 106 ofrotary auger 98 so as to have the same axis of rotation as the auger.Rotary wheel 104 is powered by an arrangement similar to that shown forthe lowermost extruder wheel of the first embodiment apparatus,described above.

Rotary wheel 104 is fitted with four cutting-extruder members 108.Member 108 provides blade 110. Aperture 112 below blade 110 curvesdownwardly and communicates with extruder channels 114. The position ofthe slicing blade can be adjusted by means of screw 116. Plate 118defines extruder outlets 120, the plate being held in place by screws122. Conventional cutters 124 are provided to cut material as it emergesfrom extruder outlets 120.

In operation, the auger is rotated in a direction to convey feedstockdownwardly toward compression zone 102, in the case of the illustratedembodiment, in the clockwise direction as viewed from above. Rotaryextruder wheel 104 is rotated in a direction such that leading edge 126of blades 110 slice off material in the compression zone, in the case ofthe illustrated embodiment, in the clockwise direction as viewed fromabove. The rotational speeds of the auger and rotary wheel can be setindependently of each other.

Material is thus fed into drum 94 through inlet 96 and generally followsthe path of arrow 128. Eventually the compression zone becomes filledwith material which then undergoes compaction due to compressive forcesexerted by the auger and in-flow of additional material. Once a suitablepressure is reached within the compression zone, rotary wheel 104 isturned on and blades 110 slice off portions of the material as the wheelrotates. Material is forced downwardly by bearing surfaces 130 throughapertures 112 and out of the drum through extruder outlets 120. Cutters124 serve to cut the extruding strands of material into appropriatelengths.

As with the first embodiment, there are many variations available to aperson skilled in the art to the second embodiment which lie within thescope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Both embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are for use inindustrial-type settings and it will be appreciated that the inventioncan be used to process and pelletize material continuously. It will ofcourse be understood that variations in the size of the apparatuses,materials of construction, the precise means for providing relativemovement of the compaction and extrusion components, etc. can be variedand remain well within the scope of the invention. For example, the millsteel of the disclosed embodiment could be any suitable material, suchas hard steel, stainless steel, plastic, particularly polyvinylchloride, fiberglass, tool steel, etc. The scope of the invention isdefined by the claims which follow.

I claim:
 1. An apparatus for processing organic waste material, theapparatus comprising:a container for the material having an inlet endand an outlet end; a compression zone at the outlet end within thecontainer including means for exerting compressive forces on material inthe zone in an axial direction toward the outlet end so as to compressthe material; slicing means within the container and located toward theoutlet end for movement in a direction transverse to the axial directionfor slicing off a portion of the compressed material, there being asurface associated with the slicing means having an axial component suchthat the surface is oriented to force the sliced portion toward theoutlet end with movement of the slicing means, wherein the slicing meansincludes a rotatable plate having a side orientated toward thecompression zone against which material is compressed by the means forexerting compressive forces; and extrusion means at the outlet endhaving apertures located to accept therethrough material forced towardthe outlet end by the surface whereby material is extruded from theoutlet end of the container.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein themeans for exerting compressive forces includes a helical screw rotatableabout an axis parallel to the axial direction.
 3. The apparatus of claim1 wherein the slicing means further includes a blade located to have aleading edge for slicing off said portion with movement of said plate,which blade has a surface oriented toward the outlet end shaped to guidethe sliced off portion toward the apertures of the extrusion means. 4.The apparatus of claim 3, wherein there is a plurality of the slicingmeans and extrusion means.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising cutting means for cutting material to a predetermined lengthas the material is extruded from the outlet end of the container.
 6. Anapparatus for processing organic waste material, the apparatuscomprising:a container for the material having an inlet end and anoutlet end; a first plate located at the outlet end and rotatable aboutwith respect to the container about an axis extending between the inletand outlet ends; a second plate located within the container androtatable with respect to the container about the axis, the plate havinga leading radial edge and a surface facing toward the outlet end angledfrom the leading edge toward the outlet end for forcing material incontact therewith axially toward the outlet end of the container so asto compress material between the first and second plates as the secondplate rotates; wherein the first plate has one or more aperturestherethrough for extrusion of compressed material therethrough as thefirst plate rotates.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first plateis rotatable in a first direction and the second plate is rotatable inan opposite second direction.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein thefirst and second plates are rotatable at independently selected speeds.9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising means for conveyingmaterial from the inlet end to the leading edge of the second plate. 10.The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the inlet end is located above theoutlet end such that material fed into the container moves toward theoutlet end under the force of gravity.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10,further comprising a first stator located above the second plate andhaving walls defining a plurality of compartments so as to retainmaterial positioned within each compartment such that, as the leadingedge of the second plate passes under each compartment as the secondplate rotates, material within the compartment is brought into contactwith the leading edge.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprisinga member within the container, rotatable with respect thereto about theaxis and located above the first stator, the member having a pair ofwings having spaces therebetween to permit passage of material from theinlet end into the first stator, at least one of the wings having anunderside angled downwardly of a leading edge thereof so as to forcedownwardly material in contact with the underside.
 13. The apparatus ofclaim 12, further comprising a second stator located above the rotatablemember and having walls defining a plurality of compartments so as toposition material within each compartment such that as the memberrotates to a position such that a said space between the wings bringsthe compartment into communication with an underlying compartment of thefirst stator to permit material to fall under the force of gravity fromthe compartment into the underlying compartment.
 14. The apparatus ofclaim 13, further comprising a third stator located between the firstand second plates and having walls defining a plurality of compartmentsso as to limit rotational movement of material within the compartments.15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apertures of the first plateare angled downwardly and away from the direction of rotation the firstplate so as to facilitate flow of material thereinto as the first platerotates.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the walls of the thirdstator are angled downwardly and in the direction of rotation of thesecond plate so as to facilitate flow of material toward the aperturesas the first and second plates rotate.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16,further comprising a powered shaft rotatable about the axis, the secondplate and rotatable member being fixedly mounted thereto.
 18. Theapparatus of claim 17, wherein first plate is rotatably mounted on theshaft, and further comprising a motor geared to rotate the first plate.19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising cutting means forcutting material to a predetermined length as the material emerges fromthe apertures of the first plate.
 20. A method for processing organicwaste material, comprising the steps of:forcing the material against amoving plate having a planar motion by pressing the material in an axialdirection perpendicular to the plane of motion; slicing off a portion ofthe material being compressed by means of a blade moving parallel to themotion of the plate; and extruding the sliced off portion through one ormore apertures in the plate.
 21. A method for continuous processing oforganic waste material, comprising the steps of:pressing the materialinto a cavity between first and second axially spaced apart parallelplates rotating about a common central axis in opposite rotationaldirections to each other; compressing the material between the plates bymeans of a surface on the first plate angled into the cavity; andextruding the material through apertures in the second rotating plate.22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of cutting thematerial to length as the material emerges from the apertures.
 23. Themethod of claim 21, wherein the first plate is located axially above thesecond plate, and further comprising the step of feeding material to beprocessed onto the top of the first plate for entry into the cavitythrough one or more openings in the first plate.
 24. The method of claim23, wherein the feeding step further comprises limiting rotation ofmaterial located between the first and second plates by means of astator located above the second plate, the stator having upright wallsdefining compartments to retain material positioned in each compartment.25. The method of claim 24, wherein there is a third plate locatedaxially above the first plate and wherein the feeding step includes thestep of passing material to be processed under the force of gravitythrough openings between rotationally spaced apart wings of the thirdplate and compressing the material between the third and first plates bymeans of a surface on an underside of the third plate angled toward thefirst plate.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein compressing thematerial between the third and first plates includes the step oflimiting rotation of material located between the third and first platesby means of a stator located therebetween, the stator having uprightwall defining compartments to retain material positioned in eachcompartment.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the feeding stepincludes limiting rotation of material located above the third plate bymeans of a stator located above the third plate, the stator havinguprigh walls defining compartment to retain material positioned in eachcompartment.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherin the extruding stepincludes directing the material through apertures angled downwardly andaway from the direction of the rotation of the second plate.